Partnerships

Knowle West Media Centre has a long history of research partnerships in the region and beyond. Current academic partners are listed below. If you are an academic organisation looking for a partner or if you are just interested in finding out more about our ongoing research programme, please get in touch. We are always interested to discuss our research practice and how we can work with academics and other research institutions.

The KWMC approach is aligned with a practice-led, action-research approach. This means not just working with local people to find the answers to predefined questions, but working with them to identify pertinent questions that demand interrogation.

In this way research focus is defined through exchange with local communities. Co-designed research is at the heart of all we do.

We work with academics and their institutions in order to:

broaden the expertise that is involved in our work and in academic research, to bring different experiences and skills into collaborative action research spaces, and develop new ideas, strategies and avenues for consideration.

generate wider sets of evidence regarding both process and impact.

gain additional insights and share learning more widely.

inform academic approaches to co-production and action research by using our experience to enable a complex set of exchanges to develop, that challenge the usual power relationship between ‘researcher’ and ‘researchee’ and establish an equality of input amongst all as co-researchers.

ensure that the opinions and perspectives of a broad range of people are represented in academic circles and beyond, and can meaningfully inform research focus, outcomes and findings.

use the ‘Living Lab’ model which cultivates innovation by working with citizens to develop and improve ideas, in order to inform wider change.

ensure sustainable ‘locally-owned’ solutions to challenges, so communities can recognise their assets and thrive.

In 2014-19 we are undertaking the following research projects, with these academic partners and research funding: